After Rainbow Beach, I hopped on an overnight Greyhound bus to Airlie Beach where I spent my time Sailing the Whitsundays and Exploring Airlie Beach.
Exploring Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is a small town that is near the Whitsundays, the town boasts an assortment of delightful boutique shops that tempted me, although I had to exercise restraint given my limited backpacker budget. Nonetheless, the town’s allure lies in its breathtaking views of the surrounding islands and the shimmering turquoise waters. I spent my time here, mostly, at the lagoon trading a book I picked up in a second-hand book store there. I also got up early one morning and completed the HoneyEater lookout walk, which ended u being a 10km hike, there were a lot of inclines! It was worth it though, as the views were stunning! I also headed to karaoke night which the hostel hosted at the bar next door, it was a lot of fun and I discovered jugs of beer are the way to go when you’re on a budget.
Sailing The Whitsundays
Now the reason I was on Airlie Beach was to embark on a tour of the Whitsundays. I was on The New Horizon, a sailing boat that hosted 30 of us! It was a 3-day trip and involved 2 nights sleeping on the boat, unfortunately, there weren’t enough beds and I ended up having to share it with a German girl, who didn’t speak to me! We watched every single sunset and sunrise which were the best I’ve ever seen! We sailed around the islands, jumping off the boat to go snorkelling or climbing a cliff to watch the sunset.
My favourite visit was to Whitehaven Beach. It’s unique due to its tidal water inlet, where the snow-white sand and the turquoise waters swirl around each other, creating a marble-like fusion and it was truly stunning. At night we would sit on the deck and play games. One night a couple of dolphins came and joined us which was amazing as I hadn’t seen a dolphin on the trip yet!
